The best independent events happening at this year’s PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival

Mark your calendars.

The countdown to one of Australia’s biggest fashion events of the year is on. From February 14, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival is back and for its 30th year, it’s putting on a stacked lineup of exciting events that everyone is welcome to attend.

As a proud long-term media partner of the Festival, we’ve already shared our guide to the 2026 programme, including the 12 Premium Runways that will showcase the best and brightest of the country’s fashion talent.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

And as of today, tickets to the Festival’s Independent Programme are on sale, with more than 100 grassroots events on offer – including 35 free ones!

From hands-on fashion workshops and performances to off-site runways highlighting the city’s emerging creatives, there’s enough to fill you calendar for the whole 15 days. To help get you acquainted with the full schedule, we’ve rounded up 10 events we’ve got our eyes on so far.

The Grand Annual Object Merchant

When: February 20 to 22

Where: 3 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne

Curated by local label Be Right Back, Object Merchant is putting on a one-of-a-kind shopping experience to connect Melbourne fashion lovers with over 50 local makers and artists, enriched by live music and performance.

Held at the iconic, heritage listed Meat Market in North Melbourne, the event will be launched through the Opening Night Ball, featuring a carefully curated lineup of musicians, dancers, performers, and beverages. Tickets to opening night on Friday are $35, however the market is free to attend over the weekend from 11am to 5pm.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

Make a Baguette Bag

When: February 14 and 21

Where: 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick

If you’ve ever wanted to learn the craft of bag making, now’s your chance. Join Simone Agius, founder of Melbourne-based label Simétrie for a two-day intensive course at the newly launched Simétrie school. You’ll learn traditional bag construction by creating your own Bay Baguette – an exclusive design available only through the school curriculum.

Working directly with Simone, you’ll learn every step from panel cutting to final burnishing, leaving the course with your very own It Bag. Over two full days, participants will learn to select leather, cut bag panels from paper patterns, master the saddle-stitching technique, attach magnets and rivets, and apply professional edge finishing methods.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

‘Dual Nature’ Runway Performance

When: February 19

Where: 252 Johnston Street, Fitzroy

Unveiling the latest collection by JUDE in a performative presentation, designer Jude Ng revives Miss Moneesha, his 20-year seasoned drag alter ego, to engage in vibrant storytelling as she evokes the tale of the designer’s duality through her performance. Held at the label’s flagship store, the performance weaves together a narrative where drag meets runway, as Miss Moneesha and two gender-neutral models take the audience on a journey of contrasts – unwrapping, layering, and revealing each character’s complex nature.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

Nin Studio Pop-Up

When: February 14 to 16

Where: 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Off the back of a successful summer pop-up debut in Sydney, Nin Studio is bringing its experimental energy to Melbourne. Known for its sculptural designs, deadstock materials, and performance-driven fashion, Nin will activate a four-day pop-up that merges retail, performance and transformation.

By day, the store will offer a curated selection of women’s and men’s clothing, seasonless designs and textile innovations. By night, the space transforms into an immersive exploration of archetypes, where guests are guided through clothing, movement, sound, scent, and taste to awaken their senses and reconnect with self-expression.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

‘Bad Apples’ Runway

When: February 19

Where: 1/394 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick

Where the Festival’s Graduate Showcase celebrates polished student collections, the Bad Apples Runway flips the script and spotlights the dropouts, the career switchers, and the self-taught makers whose work is forged outside the classroom.

This year’s show features nine independent labels shaping the city’s creative underground: Attune Clothing by Amelia Crowe, Eager Glory by Rad Valance, Ataraxia by G Sheridan, JellyOriginals by Neo Thornton and Reid Higgins, Gud Luck Jewellery by Tara, Faeble by Layla, ALICESTFU by Alice, MILO by Michelle Loraine and Oletta by Lettie Woodman.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

Fashion Film Awards Screening

When: February 20

Where: 113 Swanston Street

On Friday at The Capitol, the official premiere screening of the 2026 Fashion Film Awards will showcase a collection of films submitted from around the world, chosen by a diverse panel of industry judges. The audience will experience a captivating evening of fashion filmmaking to preview the shortlisted films, and be part of the exhilarating moment the judges announce the winners of the Best Fashion Film, Best Student Fashion Film and the brand new 2026 category Best Australian Fashion Film.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

‘Labels: Fashion and Identity’ Panel Talk

When: February 17

Where: 111 Sturt Street, Southbank

Free to attend, this panel discussion explores the relationships between fashion, gender and identity. Moderated by Sophie Prince (Curator, ACCA), the panel hears from the perspectives of fashion designers Jackie Wu (of Wackie Ju) and Shauna Toohey (of P.A.M.) as well as RMIT University’s Associate Dean of Fashion and Textiles Design, Ricarda Bigolin, as they discuss unisex and gender nonconforming fashion branding, including designing for diverse bodies and identities.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

LCI Melbourne’s Graduate Runway

When: February 21

Where: 150 Oxford Street, Collingwood

Showcasing the next wave of Australian fashion talent, this vibrant runway features the final-year collections of LCI Melbourne’s graduating Fashion & Costume Design students, each bringing forward a unique design voice shaped by months of research, studio development and hands-on experimentation.

Known for its innovation, guests can expect collections that explore identity, culture, sustainability, performance, material technology and contemporary aesthetics. From conceptual silhouettes to wearable art, each student presents a refined expression of their creative practice, honed within LCI Melbourne’s Collingwood campus.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

Organic Silver Ring Making Class with Stones

When: February 15

Where: 113 Dight Street, Collingwood

Try your hand in making your own jewellery in this immersive workshop at Eden Collingwood. Perfect for beginners and creatives of all experience levels, you’ll learn how to work with fine silver clay – a magical material that can be shaped like clay and fired into genuine solid silver. Led by Melbourne-based jeweller Amy Yang, you’ll be guided step-by-step as you design your ring, experiment with organic textures, carve details, and incorporate a colourful gemstone of your choice.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

‘Echoes in the Dome’ Salon Show

When: February 15

Where: 717 Flinders Street, Docklands

Echoes in the Dome presents an immersive salon show curated by the RMIT Cohort that brings avant-garde design into dialogue with heritage architecture. Made in collaboration with the RMIT RUSU Fashion Society, and presented at the Norla Dome at the Mission to Seafarers Victoria, a heritage-listed Docklands landmark since 1917, Echoes in the Dome unfolds within historic walls that echo a century of maritime and architectural legacy.

Unlike a traditional runway, this ‘Salon’ style show will unfold as a slow, reflective performance – an experiential journey where models and performers move freely within the space.

For more details and to buy tickets, head here.

To review the full PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival program and purchase your tickets, head here.